I Am my Deepest Desires

Following a twitt from Bob Weisenberg, I have been reading the Upanishads, by Eknath Easwaran, a writer who never pursued the speaking/traveling career, yet whose books are far reaching and inspiring, and make the Upanishads feel like a cafe conversation.

One of the polarities I find almost right away is that of "desire". Easwaran says:

"In the end, all achievement is powered by desire. Each of us has millions of desires, from big to trivial, packed witha  certain measure of will to get that desire fulfilled.  Imagine how much power is latent in the human personality! with just a fraction of that potential, young Alexander conquered continents..."

That is the same power that got me as a 20 year old to leave my country of origin, and eventually find my way into the US with no money and no friends, and build the "american dream", of college/homeownership/big corporate job, only to OF COURSE, realize that was not IT, leave it all behind and turn into yoga...  but I digress

Desire is a POWERFUL thing, innate in us, it is what moves us, what drives us,  the force behind the videos we make about putting our legs behind our backs or dropping back or getting into hanumasana. The force that got us (well rather those clever guys at Nasa and other intelligent people) to the moon. The force that made a small toaster land on Mars.

YET, on the other hand, we have the Gita.  I thought that the Gita was all about renunciation, that "desire" would not really occupy a place in it. Is that right?

Note 3.8

"Do your duty; such action is better than nothing. If you attempt to renounce all actions, it would be impossible to maintain your body"

and 3.10

"After creating humankind together with yajna (sacrifice), the Creator said: Through sacrifice you will increase yourself and get everything that you want"

So, as much as the Gita invites renunciation it is not really the type of not wanting anything. Even the wondering swamis that leave everything behind WANT something: "liberation".

My understanding is that desire is the force that gets us to move, that inspiration we feel when we hear amazing stories of epic achievments.  So essentially is to be embraced, but the fruits of which be given to the Divine.  The effort must be put into going with what drives us, but then we let the outcome and fruit be oblations unto Thee... Higher Power.

I have been blessed with the manifestation of many, many desires, ESPECIALLY during 2009, when my life began to feel like an adventure of cosmic proportions.  Much of it I owe to reading things like this, and others like "the Spontaneous Fullfillment of Desire" by Deepak Chopra, and then practicing what I read.

I am glad to get grounded in the knowing that this is good, it is evolutionary, it is the path to be followed, with all my might,  whatever my heart  deeply desires, that is where I aim, wholeheartedly, with all my passion.  What outcomes may come, that is up to HP, and all dedicated to it.

‘You are what your deepest desire is. As you desire, so is your intention. As your intention, so is your will. As is your will so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.’  The Upanishads

More on the Gita (job advise by Krishna), and tips on how to die, also by the God himself.